William h



(No Model.)

W. H. RICE.

OAR LOOK.

No. 378,722. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

STATES A'TFNT tries.

WILLIAM H. RICE, OF ADDISON, NEYV YORK.

OAR-LOCK...

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,722, dated February28, 1888.

Application filed November 25, 1887. Serial No. 256161.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. RICE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Addi son, in the county of Steuben and State of NewYork,haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Oil-PIJOOkS, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in oar-locks; and it has for itsobjects the provision of a device whereby, by turning opposite edges ofthe oar-blade up, either a fixed or a feathering oar may be had.

The invention consists in a ring which is pivoted between the arms ofthe swivel, and is provided with a semicircular slot, the oarshaftdisposed within the ring, and collars secured rigidly to the shaft onopposite sides of the ring. One of the said collars is provided with astop or stud to operate in the slot in the ring and limit the axialmotion of the oar by striking against the shoulder at the ends ofv theslot. The stop or stud is so arranged as to be in contact with one ofthe said shoulders whenever the blade of the oar is vertical. It will beseen that in either of the said positions the oar will rotate in onedirection, but will not rotate in both directions. In one case it willturn toward the rower, and in the other case it will turn from him.

In feathering an oar it always turns (at the upper edge) toward therower, and therefore it is evident that when the oar is arranged so thatthe stop or stud is in contact with one end of the slot the car will beprevented from turning toward the rower, and will therefore be fixed.YVhen the oar is turned so that the stud or stop is in contact with theother end of the slot, it will be permitted to turn toward the rower,and may therefore be feathered.

The invention is more fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective View of theoarlock, showing a portion of the gunwale to which it is attached indotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the lock. Fig. 3 is atransverse section, line :0 :r, of Fig. 2, with the inner collarremoved. Fig. l is a detail view of the inner collar.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A desig- (No model.)

nates the swivel, having the vertical arms or forks B 13, between theupper ends of which is pivoted the ring 0. This ring is provided at theinner edge with a semicircular slot, D,

having shoulders E E at the ends.

F represents the shaft of the oar, which passes through the ring 0, andG H represent collars which are secured to the said shaft respectivelyon the outer and inner sides of the ring 0. These collars bear againstthe edges of the ring, and are provided, respectively,with flanges g andh, which pass within the ring, which forms the bearing therefor. Thesecollars are secured rigidly to the oarshaft by the set-screws I I.

K represents a stop or stud on the side of the flange h, which operatesin the slot D in the inner edge of the ring.

The operation of the oar in this improved lock will now be evident. Theswivel revolves in its socket in the gunwale in the ordinary manner, thering turns on its pivots, and therefore allows the oar to have avertical swing, and the oar is further capable of axial rotation in thering. As before stated, the collars are rigid with the shaft of the oar,and their flanges g and h rotate in the ring. This rotation is onlylimited by the length of the slot in the ring, and as the slot is, asbefore mentioned, semicircular, the oar may be rotated through ahalf-circle. The stud or stop is so arranged (it may be adjusted byturning the collar H on the shaft of the car) that when the blade of theoar is horizontal, as shown at L in Fig. 2, it will be in the center ofthe slot. If the oar is now turned so as to bring the stud or stopagainst the shoulder at the end of the slot marked 8 in Fig. 3,(supposing this to be the right-hand oar,) the blade of the oar will bein the vertical position, or perpendicular to the surface of the water.It will now be clearly seen that the oar cannot be turned in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, for the reason that the stopor stud strikes against the shoulder and prevents it. The arrowindicates the direction in which the oar must be turned to feather, andtherefore if the oar can-- not be turned in this direction the bladethereof must remain perpendicular to the water, and it is in fact arigid or fixed oar. If, however,

the oar is turned until the stop or stud K bears against the shoulder atthe ends of the slot marked 8, its motion in opposition to the di--rection indicated by the arrow is limited; but it may be turned in thedirection indicated by the said arrow, and it can therefore befeathered. Therefore, by simply turning opposite edges of the blade up,the oar may be changed from a fixed to a feathering oar.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide oars with locks whichwill enable the former to be adjusted as either fixed or feathing oars,and I do not claim this.

I am aware that heretofore stationary pins (secured to the oar-lock)have been employed to operate in grooves in the shafts of the cars,whereby the axial rotation of the latter is limited. The oars must,however, in this case be especially prepared for the application of theoar-locks, and, further, the oars are necessarily weakened by thegrooves formed therein.

There is no preparation of the oar necessary to apply my oar-lock.

My oar-lock will suit any oar whose shaft will pass-through the collars,even should the said shaft be much too small for the opening inthecollars, for in the latter case the setscrcws will engage theshaftand bind it rigidly in position.

Various other devices have, I am aware, been employed to allow the shaftof the oar limited axial rotation, in the majority of which a specialpreparation of the oar is necessary prior to applying the look.

It was my object to provide a lock which could be used with any carwithout preparation, and I have attained this object in the device whichhas been herein described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an oar-lock, thecombination of the pivoted ring 0, having a slot, D, in its inner edge,the car passing through the ring, the outer collar, G, embracing andsecured to the oar and bearing against the outer side of the ring 0, andthe inner collar, H, secured rigidly to the oar and bearing against theinner side of the ring, and having the stop or stud K to operate in theslotD and limit the axial rotation of the oar, substantially as and forthe purpose specified.

2. In an oar-lock, the combination, with the oar, of the swivel A, thering 0, pivoted be tween the arms thereof and having the semicircularslot D in its inner edge, the outer collar,G, embracing the oar andhaving the flange gfitting in the ring, the inner collar, H, embracingthe oar and having the flange h fitting in the ring and provided with astop or stud, K, to operate in the slot D, and the set-screws I I in thecollars to secure them rigidly to the car, substantially as and for thepurpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. RICE.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SIGGERs, R. J. MARsHALL.

